The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter serves as the principal medium-lift utility transport and air assault aircraft of the United States Army. It is a medium-lift utility helicopter with twin engines. A single four-bladed rotor and a single four-bladed rear rotor are installed. The fundamental UH-60A crew consists of three members: the pilot, the co-pilot, and the crew commander. In addition to being resistant to 23mm of AAA (anti-aircraft artillery) discharge, the titanium-cored rotor blades feature pressurized sensors that can detect rotor damage or loss of pressurization.

The A-model was engineered to accommodate eleven combat personnel alongside a crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, crew commander). Its primary functions included utility, air assault, medevac, command and control, and reconnaissance. In 1981, the conversion of Black Hawks to the medevac role commenced by the Army.

A dragging tail wheel landing gear system is utilized by the UH-60A, consisting of two immobile main gear struts and a rotating lockable tail wheel assembly. Landing blades may be installed on the Black Hawk for use in Arctic environments.

Troop accommodations for eight are standard on the UH-60A; however, they can be detachable to provide space for four full-sized medical litters. The Black Hawk is capable of transporting a maximum of fourteen completely equipped combat soldiers, or eleven in an assault-ready configuration. The maximum capacity of a troop carrying is twenty personnel transporting light equipment. The Black Hawk’s medevac-specific variant has the capacity to house six litters.

The UH-60A stowage compartment is outfitted with a rearward sliding door that is also lockable on each side. The rated capacity of the external cargo attachment is 8,000 pounds (3,630 kg).

Attached to the airframe above the cargo compartment entrances are two external wing-like assemblies that comprise the ESSS (External Stores Support System). Every ESSS wing is furnished with a pair of detachable pylons. The wings have a combined weight capacity of 5,000 pounds and are capable of carrying a 230-gallon and 450-gallon fuel canister, giving the UH-60A a range of 1,200 nautical miles when not refueled. The ESSS has the capacity to accommodate a maximum of sixteen Hellfire missiles. When combined with the internal carrying capacity of sixteen missiles, it enables an armed Black Hawk to re-arm itself during a mission.

Two General Electric T700-GE-701 turboshaft engines, each with a shaft horsepower rating of 1,560, are installed in the UH-60A. A total of 360 gallons of internal fuel is stored in two fuel containers that are crashworthy. The Black Hawk has the capability to transport two external 230-gallon tanks and a maximum of two auxiliary 185-gallon tanks internally in the cargo compartment when outfitted with ESSS. It is possible for the Black Hawk to operate with a single motor.

In addition to VHF-FM, UHF-FM, and VHF-AM/FM radios, the UH-60A features an encrypted IFF recognition system. The Black Hawk is outfitted with an AN/APR-39 (v) 1 radar warning receiver, an AN/ALQ-144 infrared countermeasures system, and a chaff/flare dispenser for self-defense.

Although devoid of any specialized armament systems, the UH-60A is furnished with two pintle mounts, which are positioned one on each side of the airframe posterior to the flight deck. The pintles possess the ability to accommodate a diverse range of weaponry, such as the M-60 GP 7.62mm machine gun, the M-240 7.62mm machine gun, the GAU-19/A machine gun with a caliber of.50, and the General Electric M134 7.62mm 6-barreled minigun. The UH-60A is capable of carrying a maximum of sixteen Hellfire missiles, 2.75″ FFAR (folding fin aerial rocket) rocket launchers, FIM-92 Stinger anti-air missiles, and aerial mine delivery systems, including the M56 mine delivery system and the volcano, via the ESSS system.

The UH-60L Blackhawk is a subsequent generation of the UH-60A Blackhawk, which debuted in 1978 for the United States Army. The UH-60L production commenced in 1989, encompassing both the conversion of pre-existing UH-60A aircraft to the “L” standard and the manufacture of fresh airframes. The initial delivery of a UH-60L occurred in November 1989. Since 2006, more than 600 UH-60L aircraft have been delivered, and it is anticipated that production will continue until new UH-60M aircraft enter service to supplant the UH-60L line.

The UH-60L and UH-60A are remarkably similar externally. A significant advancement is the integration of a hover inertial resistance suppression system (HIRSS), which is specifically engine exhaust gas cooled during both forward flight and hovering. The “L” variant, similar to the UH-60A, possesses ESSS capability and is rated for the exact same weapon systems. The utmost load capacity of the external cargo hook on the UH-60L, which has a lift rating of 9,000 pounds, has been increased. The internal carrying capacity for troops remains unaltered at twenty-five lightly equipped, eleven completely loaded, and fourteen high-density.

Each of the two General Electric T700-GE-401C turboshaft engines installed in the UH-60L is rated at 1,880 shaft horsepower. The internal fuel arrangements of the “L” model are identical to those of the “A” variant.